Lagos: The Lagos State Unified Media Health Coalition has reiterated its commitment to improving maternal and child health outcomes through more coordinated media reportage and information dissemination.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the coalition, formed under the auspices of the International Society of Media in Public Health (ISMPH), aims to promote coordinated health reporting activities to achieve better health outcomes. Speaking at the coalition meeting in Lagos, the Director of Programme, ISMPH, Mr Solomon Dogo, described the event as a post-alignment meeting following the inauguration of the group in February 2026.
‘Sometimes last two months, the media in Lagos came together to form a unified group, trying to see how they can speak with one voice to ensure that the maternal and child mortality is being reduced in Lagos state,’ he said. According to him, the movement is a welcome idea, assuring the readiness of the ISMPH to continually partner and support the coalition in whatever possible means.
He explained that the idea was to reduce the maternal mortality rate through amplified information dissemination and awareness concerning maternal and child health so that no woman or child dies due to lack of information relating to access to healthcare in Lagos State. He added that through the media’s amplified information, the governments and policymakers would be held accountable for their roles regarding healthcare across the state.
Earlier, the coalition’s Chairperson, Mrs Vivian Ihechu, explained that maternal health encompassed maternal and child health, primary healthcare, immunisation, nutrition, and health financing among others. Ihechu, also the President of Health Writers Association of Nigeria (HEWAN), said the coalition was formed by four associations of health writers in the state.
She listed the associations to be HEWAN, the Network of Reproductive Health Journalists of Nigeria (NRHJN), the Knowledge Management and Communication Sub-committee (KMCS) of the Lagos State Accountability Mechanism (LASAM); and the Society for Media Advocacy on Health (SOMAH), Nigeria. According to her, media advocacy is very important as it’s key in influencing government policies, especially in the area of awareness creation, sensitisation, and holding the governments accountable.
Similarly, the State Coordinator of NRHJN, Lagos State, Mrs Kikelomo Oduyebo, reiterated the need to recognise journalists as critical stakeholders in improving maternal, newborn, child health, including adolescent health. ‘This is because once the media has right, accurate information; the media is a gap that will be able to target policymakers, the government, to improve funding for health budgets.’
Mrs Chioma Umeha, Health Editor at Daily Independent Newspapers, noted that strategic media advocacy would shift RMNCAH from neglected statistics into urgent policy priorities. According to her, by keeping maternal and child health outcomes in the spotlight, the coalition will successfully drive political will across Lagos.
The Health Editor, Vanguard Newspapers, Mr Olusola Ogundipe, called for deliberate empowerment of the media to enhance its operations. Ogundipe said that the media operations were being confronted with a lot of challenges including lack of finance, lack of trust, and lack of access to information, among others. According to him, empowerment of the media must not be limited to monetary aspect, but can be in the form of training or provision of the needed working tools.